Haiti update: U.S. military prepares to help, up to 3 million affected

January 13, 2010 · Posted in International news, News and Current Affairs 

UPDATE 10:25 a.m.: President Obama just wrapped up a news conference on the Haiti situation 10 a.m. in which he outlined the steps the U.S. will take to aid the people of Haiti Florida’s House Democratic Caucus plans to hold a news conference at 10:30. Per a news release this hour: “Florida Governor Charlie Crist will visit the Miami-Dade Emergency Operations Center in Miami for a briefing on the Haiti earthquake today” at around 11:00.

Also, it appears that not one, but three hospitals collapsed in the Haitian capitol. And the AP reports people are piling bodies next to destroyed homes in Port-au-Prince. Meanwhile, the AP also reports the Catholic Church’s archbishop to the Haiti capitol was killed in the earthquake.

The international community also coming to Haiti’s rescue, including France, Great Britain and Canada.

ORIGINAL POST: Video is beginning to trickle in from Haiti, revealing the extent of the devastation. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon just spoke to the media, and the news is bleak. The U.N.’s head of mission, Hedi Annabi, is missing. Four Brazilian, eight Chinese and three Jordanian peacekeepers are reportedly dead, and that’s before we find out how many hundreds? or more likely thousands, of Haitians were killed in the 7.0 magnitude quake, plus up to 30 aftershocks. Per CNN, the country’s first lady is reporting that “most of Port au Prince is destroyed.” Also per CNN:

…the U.S. State Department had been told to expect a profound loss of life.

The U.S. is preparing to send Navy and Coast Guard ships to the island, including the U.S.S. Comfort, which can basically operate as a floating hospital.

Video below:

In this video, a woman describes the devastation in Creole, and then switches to English, saying “the world is coming to an end” …

And this from the Haitian president:

Haitian President René Préval issued an urgent appeal for his earthquake-shattered nation Wednesday, saying he had been stepping over dead bodies and hearing the cries of those trapped under the rubble of the national Parliament. The president, in his first interview since the earthquake, said the country was destroyed and he believed there were thousands of people dead but was reluctant to provide a number.

“We have to do an evaluation,” Préval said, describing the scene as “unimaginable.”

“Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed,” he said. “There are a lot of schools that have a lot of dead people in them.” Among those trapped inside the Parliament building but still alive was the president of the Haitian Senate, Kely Bastien.

Préval said he had traveled through several neighborhoods and seen the damage. “All of the hospitals are packed with people. It is a catastrophe,” he said.

According to media reports, survivors were digging through the rubble and stacking bodies along the streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti’ capital, after the powerful 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the island nation Tuesday afternoon. The earthquake has left the nation virtually isolated with countless crumbled buildings, including the historic National Palace. Préval and first lady Elisabeth Préval were not in the palace at the time of the quake.

Préval said he he has not slept since the earthquake. Other people slept in the streets because they were afraid to sleep in their homes, he said.

“This is a catastrophe,” the first lady said. “I’m stepping over dead bodies. A lot of people are buried under buildings. The general hospital has collapsed. We need support. We need help. We need engineers.”

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